20th Commonwealth Games kick off at Glasgow

20th Commonwealth Games has a grandiose opening ceremony.

The 20th edition of the Commonwealth Games finally kicked off with a gala opening ceremony at Celtic Park in Glasgow on July 23, 2014. Scotland has been preparing for the Commonwealth games since November 2007. The city welcomed around 4,500 athletes from across 71 nations and territories of Commonwealth.

Scottish singers Rod Stewart and Susan Boyle performed live at the opening ceremony. The athletes are geared up for the upcoming ten days of intense competition. The Commonwealth Head Queen Elizabeth II delivered her speech and concluded saying, “I now declare the Commonwealth Games open.”

The baton of the games arrived with a young girl from Jamaica and then, was passed around to other volunteers. The Queen’s baton travelled to about 71 nations and territories of the Commonwealth in a relay of 248 days before the announcement of the Games opening.

Three Scottish athletes took an oath on behalf of all the athletes participating at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. There was some kind of reception for all the 71 nations who participated. When Scotland made its entry, the entire crowd at the stadium was on their feet as they looked absolutely fantastic in an attractive uniform.

The entire event was streamed live via the video streaming site YouTube.